


Hidden Talents

by shockandlock



Category: One Piece
Genre: Bets & Wagers, Family, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Wano Arc (One Piece) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24331111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shockandlock/pseuds/shockandlock
Summary: Ace makes a bet with Izo for one reason or another. Rain puts a little damper on that bet, but it also reveals some interesting talents. He takes this chance to learn about one of his many brothers on the Moby Dick.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace & Izou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 89
Collections: Mystics Gen Fic Recs





	Hidden Talents

**Author's Note:**

> Izo has some kick-ass sword skills and we never talk about it. Let's talk about it.
> 
> Enjoy!

The bet wasn’t one made over some petty squabble or argument, but it was a bet made for fun. Still, Ace preferred not to lose. He was much too prideful to lose, especially when a bet involved a battle.

_ “Alright. Let’s make a deal then,”  _ Izo had said. He was the one who initiated.  _ “You’ll let me do your makeup if _ — _ hm…” _

_ “How about if you defeat more enemies in the next battle?”  _ Ace had suggested.

_ “Hey, that doesn’t exactly seem fair, now does it?” _

_ “I accept.” _

Sure, Ace knew that he had the upper hand, but a battle was the first thing he could think of. He let Izo set some rules for fairness. Thatch was there when they made the bet, so he was to be the referee. 

“Remember, you two. One target at a time, so I can count and for fairness,” he said, “but don’t blame me if I miscount! I need to protect my own ass too!”

And so, they were off. Things seemed to be going fine for Ace. Though he couldn’t help glancing over at Izo whenever he heard a pistol go off. He tried his best to keep track of both his own victories versus Izo’s, but there were more important things to think about in the heat of battle. This was the New World. One false move could put an end to even the most seasoned pirate.

Ace ignited his fingertips, ready to blast fire in another enemy’s face, but then he felt something wet fall onto his arm. He froze and looked up. 

It was raining — no. Judging from the winds and the rocking of the boat, this was only the start of the storm.

He roundhoused his foe in the face instead of lighting them on fire. Storms made battle complicated, especially for Devil Fruit users and especially for him. He could still hold his own in a fight, but unfortunately, the rain put a literal damper on his powers. Besides that, no one wanted to risk any fruit users slipping into the ocean. 

At least he wasn’t the only one with a disadvantage.

He turned to Izo. “Well, looks like the bet’s over now.”

Izo paused, raising an eyebrow at him. “And why would you say that?”

Ace shrugged. “Well, you can’t use your pistols like this, so it doesn’t seem fair to keep going.”

“My, how generous of you,” Izo commented. He sighed and put his pistols away. 

Ace was about to ask Thatch the score, but Izo interrupted him.

“I’m not quite done yet, fireball.”

“Wh — hey!”

There was a blur and suddenly Thatch was missing one of his swords.

Ace stared. Thatch gaped.

Meanwhile, Izo balanced the blade in his hand. “It’s not a katana, but it will do.”

“What?”

Izo swung, but it wasn’t random or sloppy because a nearby enemy fell immediately.

“Izo can use swords?” Ace asked. He sidestepped an enemy punch and swung his own fist back to knock the guy out.

Thatch lowered his other sword and let Ace take care of the surrounding enemies. “He is from Wano, Ace. You know he has a katana in his room, right?”

“I — whoa! I thought it was decorative!”

“It’s more of a sentimental item now.” Izo cut down another enemy, one that Ace was about to defeat. “That sword…” He trailed off. “It’s not important now. Let’s move.”

Ace was left still speechless as Izo continued to fell enemy after enemy with Thatch’s weapon, yet he still moved naturally as if the blade was his own. “What is he talking about?” Maybe he needed to spend more one-on-one time with him.

“Do you really need to ask this now?” Thatch had stopped fighting. He always claimed that it didn’t feel right to fight without both blades. He was Twin Blade Thatch after all. Ace was sure that Izo was only able to get away with taking one because it was him (and everyone knew about Thatch’s soft spot for Izo). “You’re going to lose the bet if you don’t move, you know.”

“Shit!”

So Izo had some hidden skills? Two could play at that game. Ace knew there was a broom closet nearby. Brooms were no substitute for his trusty pipe, but as Izo said, it would have to do.

The broom snapped in one blow. At least it still worked once.

“Oops.” Ace tossed the broken broom to the side.

“Still messing around, Ace?”

Ace scowled at Izo and continued to charge against the rain and forward towards the enemies. “I’ll show you!”

* * *

Needless to say, he lost the bet.

Despite what some of their brothers said, the loss of the bet was more a blow to his pride than the makeup was.. He was an open-minded guy, thank you very much!

On the other hand, he did find it awful hard to stay still while Izo was applying it.

“Stop squirming,” Izo scolded lightly. 

“It tickles,” Ace muttered. He flinched again when the brush touched his face.

“If you hold still, I’ll be done sooner and then we can both be happy.” Izo turned back to his vanity table. It was laden with several different makeup products, but Ace didn’t know the names of any of them. 

He looked around the room. It was neatly kept with the bed made and the surfaces impeccably clean. Izo’s katana hung on the wall. Even though Ace never spent too much time in his room, he was certain that it was untouched. “So… that stuff with the sword was cool,” he said, trying to sound casual, but he couldn’t hide his curiosity. “How come you never fought like that before?”

Izo turned back to Ace and then followed his gaze up to the katana. “It’s quite a long story, Fireball.”

“We have time, don’t we?” 

He stared at Ace, but Ace wasn’t sure if he was making a choice about the makeup or the story. “Very well then.”

Ace grinned and readjusted his posture for comfort. 

“You still need to sit still!”

“Fine.”

Ace didn’t mind long stories. Everyone on the Moby Dick was an experienced pirate and Ace wanted to learn all about their adventures. At least Izo’s story was a good distraction from the makeup.

“Wow. So you’ve been with the crew ever since?”

Izo nodded as he leaned in. “Close your eyes.”

The bristles tickled as they brushed over his eyelids, but Ace had adjusted to it by now. “Why didn’t you go with him?”

Izo was quiet and for a second, Ace thought he said something wrong. He peeked his eyes open. Izo had a tube of lipstick in his hands, but he was looking back at his katana. 

“You talk about your brother often, correct?”

“Yeah.”

The lipstick pressed against Ace’s mouth as Izo continued to speak. “Just as the family you have here on the Moby Dick hasn’t replaced the family you have in your brother, the Whitebeards haven’t replaced the Scabbards.” 

Ace couldn’t help agreeing with that, especially since it made him think about Luffy.

“This is my family and I’m happy here. My sword is meant to serve my master, but I am loyal to Pops as well. I have no regrets.”

“Wow. That was really wise,” Ace praised. He tried to hold in a smile as Izo finished applying the lipstick, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Of course it was! Now open your eyes and take a look.”

Ace’s eyes widened when he saw himself in the mirror. “Damn. I look… good!”

Izo scoffed. “Did you think I was going to make you look like a clown? You doubt me.”

Eyeliner was drawn as sharp wings with an orange eyeshadow the color of his flames brushed across his eyelids. His skin looked smooth, yet his freckles still stood out and the lipstick Izo used was nice and subtle. “Thanks, Izo!” 

“Now, if you’ve got anyone to impress while you’re wearing that, you better get out there!”

Ace blushed. “What?”

Izo grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. “Come along, Fireball. Let’s go!”

**Author's Note:**

> This honestly ended up being longer than I thought it was going to, but I'm happy to write some more family WB interactions to satisfy my WB brainrot.
> 
> Please leave Kudos and a Comment to let me know what you thought!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/shockandlock)   
>  [carrd](https://shockandlock.carrd.co/)


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